<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Counting Stars by Chemicrush</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24767590">Counting Stars</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chemicrush/pseuds/Chemicrush'>Chemicrush</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:26:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>927</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24767590</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chemicrush/pseuds/Chemicrush</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ask anyone what they think the Paladins of Voltron are doing now that the war is over, nine out of ten people would guess working for the Coalition, and five out of the six of us are. I’ve always had to be the exception. <br/>--<br/>Keith ponders his place in the galaxy after the war.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Allura/Lance (Voltron), Keith/Shiro (Voltron)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Counting Stars</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Please be kind? My first foray into writing in years. And I'm dating myself writing a songfic like this... Anyways. The song is "Counting Stars" by One Republic, and its really only Sheith if you squint, but it's me. They're together always.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ask anyone what they think the Paladins of Voltron are doing now that the war is over, nine out of ten people would guess working for the Coalition, and five out of the six of us are. I’ve always had to be the exception. Stayed with the Blade, then I tried Coalition life for a while, but it wasn’t for me. Don’t get me wrong, I was good at it. -Damn- good at it. But I have had enough bloodshed, seen enough, buried enough friends. And… believe it or not, politics and peace negotiations never became a forte of mine. So while Shiro, Lance, Pidge, Hunk and Allura are all comfortable in their plush offices in the Garrison working on preserving the peace and all that, I’m in the library studying for my last finals week as an undergrad.</p>
<p>
  <em>Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep, d</em>
  <em>reaming about the things that we could be. But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard, Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars, yeah we'll be counting stars.</em>
</p>
<p>Okay, laugh it up. But it’s true. When I left the Coalition, I had no clue what I wanted to do. So I did everything. I couch surfed practically across the universe and back -Much to Shiro’s dismay- doing everything. Trying everything. And I found out a lot about myself, mainly that I had an affinity for picking up the wrong guys and an insatiable appetite for seafood.</p>
<p>I<em> see this life like a swinging vine, swing my heart across the line, in my face is flashing signs: Seek it out and you shall find.</em></p>
<p>So that’s how I ended up here, jaded and soul weary at 28, in a community college outside of what used to be Phoenix. Studying education. I would never have known from the start that I would end up working with kids, it just fell into my lap.</p>
<p>
  <em>Old, but I'm not that old. Young, but I'm not that bold and I don't think the world is sold on just doing what we're told</em>
</p>
<p>Ask any education major why they want to be a teacher and they will just give you this knowing smile. We know we’re not here for the money. We know we’re not here for the glory (Unless you think glory is being a babysitter for 100-some high schoolers every day). We do it for the kids. For the future. If I can just make an impact on one kids’ life, to show one kid that there is more to life than the crap they deal with at home, it will all be worth it. Eight finals weeks, 102 credits, thousands of dollars, countless all-nighters and odd sleeping schedules. </p>
<p>
  <em>I feel something so right doing the wrong thing. I feel something so wrong doing the right thing. I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie... Everything that kills me makes me feel alive</em>
</p>
<p>I’m not self centered enough to think that I’ve done this on my own. In fact, I know I would be nowhere without Shiro. He was the one to help me pick up the pieces after the last guy of my “Road trip” left me high and dry. It took a year, but he finally made me realize that I was worth it, that I deserve this peace. Over the course of that year, I realized something else about myself; Despite trying to shove those emotions into a box, I was very much still in love with my best friend.</p>
<p>
  <em>I </em>
  <em>feel the love and I feel it burn, down this river, every turn. Hope is a four-letter word, make that money, watch it burn</em>
</p>
<p>Unlike the other former paladins, my face wasn’t broadcasted to the entire known universe via “The Voltron Show” and it allowed me a relative sense of peace and quiet during my travels. It’s given me that time to figure out just who ‘Keith’ is in this new world.</p>
<p>
  <em>Old, but I'm not that old. Young, but I'm not that bold and I don't think the world is sold on just doing what we're told. I feel something so wrong doing the right thing I couldn't</em>
  <em> lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie. Everything that downs me makes me wanna fly</em>
</p>
<p>Things have changed quite a bit since those days of the war, but no one understands us six like the others do. After the war, we moved into a large estate to stay close to each and have each other’s backs. The intent was never to stay together in the house for long, but several years later, we’re all still together in that house. Sure, life gets more than difficult with my studies and the others being on and off missions and different travels. But that doesn’t make it any less beautiful. I guess the moral of the story is that life is complicated. But it’s also beautiful. ‘Lura and Lance are tying the knot next week. And I have already accepted a position teaching physics and astronomy at a local high school. Shiro and I are talking about taking a trip after I graduate. Just the two of us, traveling the stars like we always wanted. Life isn’t about the money you make. It’s about the lives you touch. The memories you make. So instead of worrying about all the money I’m not making, we can enjoy the peace. We can go spend a night looking up into space, counting the stars.</p>
<p>
  <em>Take that money, watch it burn. Sink in the river the lessons I've learned .</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>